Knight of Darkness (5e Class)

Knight of Darkness

A figure seen in black armor roaming the solitary road at night, as the light dims around him. A group of bandits, unaware of the danger, surrounds the mysterious figure. With a grin in his face, the bandit leader draw its sword, and order his man to charge at the knight. In a split second, the area surrounding the knight is completely engulfed in shadows. Confused, the bandits aimless strike, some choking their blades inoffensively on the metal armor of the knight, others accidental stabbing their own friends. The leader, typically brave, cries in despair as he feels his soul leaving his body.

With the body completely filled with stab wounds and arrows pierced on his body, the pallid warrior refuses to die. An albino half-orc, with his leather armor of a deep black, wields a great large sword, seemingly unfazed by the deadly wounds it received. Inexorable, he marches forward towards the soldiers sent to kill him, after the slaying of an entire village. The soldiers launch a final charge, with rage and bravery, but it is useless. Their souls will feed the dark god in this cold night.

A Knight of Darkness relies on the gifts given to them from the gods and goddesses of darkness. They find it easy to corrupt and steal the life essence of their enemies. They can learn to kill specified targets, steal their enemies souls, or topple enemy soldiers.

Servant of Darkness

Hidden in forgotten temples, once dedicated to benevolent gods, but now corrupted by the forces of darkness, or in hidden cultist lairs, devoted to eldritch gods and entities of darkness, guarding shadow priests while they conduct sacrificial rites, Knights of Darkness are nefarious warriors and loyal servants of the forces of darkness, carrying on the will of their evil masters in exchange for profane power. The path of the Knight of Darkness is a secret and occult one, being these unholy warriors members of an long forgotten path of darkness. These servants of darkness have been gifted with powers from ancient gods of darkness as a reward for their devotion, loyalty and specially, for their constant diligent training, that turns them in more than just acolytes of evil, but in living weapons for the forces of darkness. Knights of darkness serve their dark masters not through worship, but through their actions, hunting souls of mortals to satiate their dark lords endless hunger.

Not all gods and entities of darkness are evil, though. Although Knights of Darkness are most commonly associated with evil deities and demon lords, there are some morally ambiguous entities that also ordain and employ the sword of those knights. Deities of death and shadows such as Wee Jas or the Raven Queen are amongst the most common candidates between non evil beings that will have Knights of Darkness amidst their ranks.

Soul Reapers

Knight of Darkness, after making their profane vow to the powers of darkness, learn the unholy art of soul reaping from their eldritch lords. Using their necromantic powers, they learn how to steal souls from deceased opponents, and consume their spiritual energy to increase their own power. Some specially cruel and nefarious soul reapers can even bind said souls to their will. Knights of darkness use their infamous Reaping Blades, tools of death that have been bound to their own soul trough heretic and blasphemous rituals, as both an instrument for extracting the souls and a vehicle to channel the souls power through their own bodies and the blade itself.

The Darkness Taint

The Darkness is a force that can be harnessed by a select few, and both empowers but also taints its users. Select one of the quirks below, that show your taint by the darkness, or roll a d6 to determine your quirk.

Knight of Darkness Quirk

roll a d6	Quirk
1	You are always cold to the touch.
2	Your smile is always very cruel looking.
3	Your eyes are jet black.
4	You often talk to the souls within you - to others you seem insane.
5	Sometimes when you breathe heavily you exhale dark cold mist.
6	Every now and again you shift into the shadow realm - it looks like you blur for an instant in time (does not have any real affect).

Creating a Knight of Darkness

Knight at Red Sea bt Kristian Nüsser

When creating a knight of darkness, ask yourself a few questions: What have led you to take such a obscure path? Was hunger for power? Or did you always had a natural connection to understand and even contact the darkness from birth? Maybe was curiosity, staring for a long time into the abyss until it stared back to you. Your motivations are important to guide in how your character would use such powers.

Think about what dark master you serve and why your patron have granted you power in the first place. Why did you choose to serve this entity? Was an act of despair after a near loss in combat? Have you been recruited by a cult or temple, seeing value in your martial skills? Have you searched for this powerful being of darkness, as a shortcut to great power? Have you choose to accept the taint of darkness as a personal sacrifice, in order to achieve a selfless goal? Do you revel in this new powers, or do you live in constant fear for your eternal soul.

Knights of Darkness are often cruel and merciless, since the practice of stealing one's soul and channeling the power of darkness is an inherently evil deed. There are, however, knights who use this as a means to an end, and although they are still brutal and opportunistic, they may strive for a greater good. Give a good reason for why your Knight of Darkness would be part of an adventuring group, and why it is loyal to them.

Quick Build

You can make a Knight of Darkness quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength or Dexterity. Second, choose the Noble background with the Knight variant or the Knight of the Order. Third, choose a martial weapon and a shield, five javelins, an explorer's pack and a Chain mail.

Class Features

As a Knight of Darkness you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Knight of Darkness level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Knight of Darkness level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: light, medium, heavy and shields
Weapons: simple and martial
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Insight, Medicine, Persuasion and Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) five javelins or (b) any simple melee weapon
• (a) a priest's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• Chain mail
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 5d4x10 gp instead of starting equipment in funds.

Table: The Knight of Darkness

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Soul Capacity
1st	+2	Night Eyes, Hands of Darkness	-
2nd	+2	Fighting Style, Reaping Blade	6
3rd	+2	Darkness Archetype	9
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	12
5th	+3	Shadow Strike, Aura of the Soul Harvest	15
6th	+3	Archetype Feature	18
7th	+3	Soul Tap	21
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	24
9th	+4	Gift of Souls	27
10th	+4	Archetype Feature	30
11th	+4	The Darkening	33
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	36
13th	+5	Shadow Strike (2)	39
14th	+5	Archetype Feature	42
15th	+5	Soul Barrier	45
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	48
17th	+6	Soul Cleave	51
18th	+6	Archetype Feature	54
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	57
20th	+6	Champion of Darkness	60

Night Eyes

Starting at 1st level, you can see in normal or magical darkness, up to a range of 120 feet.

Hands of Darkness

At 1st level you are corrupted by darkness, you can use your power of darkness to steal the essence of others and replenish your life. You have a pool of necrotic power, equal to you Knight of Darkness level x 5, that replenishes when you take a long rest. As an action, you can make an attack roll using your Charisma to touch a creature. On a hit, you can spend any amount of points of that pool, and cause necrotic damage equal to the amount spent.

You can also roll a hit dice and regain hit points equal to the number rolled + your Charisma modifier, whenever you cause damage with your Hands of Darkness. You can't regain more hit points than the necrotic damage caused.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Pact Warrior

You learn two cantrips of your choice from the warlock spell list. They count as Knight of Darkness spells for you, and Charisma is your spellcasting ability for them. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of these cantrips with another cantrip from the warlock spell list.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Reaping Blade

Beginning at 2nd level, when you finish a long rest, you can touch a melee weapon of your choice that causes slashing damage, and turn it into your Reaping Blade. You can't be disarmed from your reaping blade, and you can use your Charisma, rather than Strength or Dexterity, for attacks and damage rolls with the reaping blade.

Font of Souls

Beginning at 2nd level you can tap into the darkness fueling within you. This well within you is formed by the life essence (souls) you have harvested over the years. You start with no souls, but can store up to 6 soul charges when you gain this feature, and your soul capacity increases as you gain Knight of Darkness levels, as shown in the Soul Capacity column of the Knight of Darkness table. In order to gain souls, you must either land the killing blow on a creature, or spend one minute harvesting the soul from a creature that has died at no more than 1 minute. You can never have more Souls than shown in the table for your level.

Reaping Souls

When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points using your Reaping Blade, you can use your reaction to attempt to drain the creature's soul. The target must be a beast, dragon, giant, humanoid or monstrosity, and must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. On a failed save, you drain a number of soul points equal to the creature's CR.

As your weapon drain souls, its blade becomes darkened like obsidian, sucking all the light that touches, instead of reflecting it. For each 20 souls drained by your reaping blade, you gain a bonus of +1 to attacks and damage rolls with this weapon, and its critical margin reduces in 1 (becoming 19-20 with 20 souls, 18-20 with 40, or 17-20 with 60).

Soul Abilities

You can spend the soul points store on your blade to use the following abilities:

• If the weapon would break, you can spend 10 soul charge as a reaction to prevent it.

• When you score a critical hit with the reaping blade, you can spend 6 souls to roll one additional die of damage.

• You can spend 6 souls to cast darkness, centered on the sword.

• When you roll a 1 on an attack roll using the reaping blade, you can spend 6 charges as a reaction to reroll the attack. You must use the new result.

• On your turn without using an action, you can spend up to your maximum soul points to gain +1 on your Wisdom (Perception) checks and initiative rolls for each 6 points spent. This benefit lasts for 10 minutes.

Darkness Archetype

When you reach 3rd level, you choose a Darkness Archetype to choose your path of everlasting pursuit in spreading the power of the voided domain that you harness. You can choose between the Reaping Blademaster, the Shadow Lord or the Dark Acolyte, shown at the end of the class description.

Your choice give you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 10th, 14th and 18th levels.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Shadow Strike

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the attack action with the Reaping Blade on your turn. Additionally, once per turn you can spend soul charges to gain one of the following benefits when you attack with the reaping blade. You can't choose more than one on the same turn:

Shadow Enhancing (3 soul charges)

You add +1 to that attack roll. On a hit, you also add +1 to the damage of that attack.

Shadow Run (2 soul charges)

You can instantly move up to 10 feet. You can make this movement after or before making the attack. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.

Ghostly Strike (5 soul charges)

If you haven't moved on this turn, your movement becomes zero until the start of your next turn, but you gain advantage on all of your attacks this turn.

Dark Jaunt (5 soul charges)

Before or after the attack, you may teleport to an area of dim light or darkness that you can see within 30 feet.

Shadow Vigor (10 soul charges)

You gain temporary hit points equal to half the amount of hit point lost by your target. Damage that exceeds 0 hit points aren't converted in temporary hit points. You can spend 20 soul charges to gain hit points equal to the full amount lost instead.

Curse of Darkness (20 soul charges)

On a hit with the attack, the target must make a Charisma saving throw against your spellcasting DC, or be blinded and frightened of you for 1 minute. The target can make another saving throw at the start of each of its turns to end this effect.

Aura of the Soul Harvest

Beginning at 5th level, whenever a creature with a soul within 10 feet of you dies you may use your reaction and make a DC 16 Charisma check to capture their life force as it leaves their body and consume it into your Font of Souls as one soul charge per 2CR of the creature (minimum 1 soul charge gained). Failing the Charisma check means the soul is still inside the body and must be harvested with the Font of Souls and all constraints therein apply.

Soul Tap

At 7th level you start to master the manipulation of souls. As a bonus action you may spend souls to amplify your physical abilities, until the start of your next turn. You can activate one or more of the abilities below as part of the same bonus action, spending the correspondent amount of souls.

Speed (1 Soul)

Your movement speed increase by +5 feet.

Resistance (2 Souls)

You add +1 to your next saving throw.

Talent (2 Souls)

You add +1 on your next ability check

Gift of Souls

At 9th level, your mastery of soul manipulation is enhanced. As an action, you may channel an ally within 30 feet that you can see with soul charges, choosing one of the following benefits:

Dark Recovery

The chosen ally regain 1 hit point per soul charge spent. Once you use this ability on an ally, that same creature can't benefit from this ability again until it finishes a long rest.

Shadow Shield

You can spend up to 10 souls to add +1 to the chosen ally AC per 2 souls spent, until the end of your next turn.

Shadow Swap

You can spend 18 souls to cause you and your ally to teleport, changing places.

The Darkening

At 11th level, you are so infused with darkness that all your melee weapon strikes carry dark power with them. Whenever you hit a creature with a melee weapon, the creature takes an extra 1d8 necrotic damage.

Shadow Strike (2)

At 13th level, you can attack three times, instead of two, whenever you take the attack action with the Reaping Blade on your turn.

Soul Barrier

Starting at 15th level, the Knight of Darkness' darkness fills him with protective energy. You gain resistance to necrotic damage, and advantage on saving throws against effects that cause necrotic damage, spells from the necromancy school or against any effects from undead creatures.

Soul Cleave

At 17th level, when wielding the Reaping Blade, you can use your Action to make one melee attack, with advantage, against any number of creatures within 5 feet and that are in front of you, with a separate damage roll for each target. You can use Shadow Strike on the attack made with this Action, spending double the soul points as normal. When used this way, Shadow Strike applies to each target.

Dark Champion

At 20th level, you can assume the form of Pure Darkness, taking on an appearance you choose. For example, your skin might turn black or put off a dark mist, your hair might become pure white or cascade off you like fog, or you might sprout skeletal spikes.

Using your action, once per long rest you undergo a transformation. For 1 hour, you gain the following benefits:

• You sprout skeletal wings and gain a fly speed of 60 feet.

• If you are at half your maximum hit points or lower, but above 0, at the start of each of your turns, you regain 10 hit points.

• You emanate an aura of menace in a 30-foot radius. The first time an enemy creature enters the aura or starts its turn there during battle, the creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier or become frightened of you for 1 minute or until it takes any damage. Attacks rolls against the frightened creature have advantage.

• Enemy creatures starting their turn within 5 feet of you must make a Charisma save against your spell DC or have vulnerability to necrotic damage, until the end of your next turn.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Darkness Archetype

Adept of the Black Flame

Adepts of the black flame are knights of darkness capable of controlling the black flame, a mysterious element that can only be created by those with a deep connection with the plane of shadows and the lords of darkness. This anti-fire brings darkness, in opposition to the usal light of fire, and his immolation affects not only flesh, but soul, burning both with equal ferocity.

BLack Flame Blade

At 3rd level, you can conjure black flames on your reaper's blade. Without using an action when you steal a soul, or as a bonus action on your turn, you can cause the reaper's blade to burst into black flames for 1 minute. These flames do not harm you. When you deal damage to a creature with one of the ignited reaping blade, the damage caused by the die roll is necrotic damage, and the damage caused by your ability modifier is fire damage.

Dark Pyromancer

Also at 3rd level, you learn how to control the black flame. You can manifest the flames using your Bonus Action, causing flickering darkness in the shape of a flame to appear in your hand. The dark flame remains there for 10 minutes, and harms neither you nor your equipment. The dark flame sheds non-magical darkness in a 10-foot radius and dims bright light for an additional 10 feet. The dark flame ends if you dismiss it as a bonus action or if you cast it again.

You can also attack with the dark flame, although doing so ends the flame. When you do so, or as a bonus action on a later turn, you can hurl the flame at a creature within 30 feet of you. Make a ranged attack, using your Charisma, rather than Dexterity. On a hit, the target takes 1d4 fire and 1d4 necrotic damage. The damage increases to 1d8 fire and 1d8 necrotic at 6th level, 3d4 fire and 3d4 necrotic at 14th level, and 2d8 fire and 2d8 necrotic at 18th level.

Incandescent Spirits

By 6th level, you can use the souls you steal as a fuel for your dark flames. Whenever you spend 1 or more soul points, you gain one of the following benefits until the end of your next turn:

• When a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, black flames lash out at the creature, and the attacker takes fire and necrotic damage equal to 1d4. A creature can only take this damage once per turn.

• You don't have disadvantage on attacks made with the Dark Pyromancer feature for being within 5 feet of a hostile creature.

• Once per turn when you hit a creature with an attack that deals damage with the black flame summoned by any of your features, the flame leaps to a different creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of the previous one. The second creature takes fire and necrotic damage equal to 1d4.

Children of the Black Fire

By 10th level, you become resistant to fire and necrotic damage. In addition, the fire damage caused by your black flame ignore resistance to fire.

Black Inferno

At 14th level, you can unleash the black flames upon your enemies. As an action, you can cause a circle of flames to raise around you. Each creature within 30 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier), taking fire and necrotic damage equal to your Knight of Darkness level on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Objects not being worn or carried catch fire, and the area occupied by any creature that fails the save becomes covered in darkness, and an area within 5 feet of it in dim light, until the start of their turns, as their bodies are consumed by the flames.

You instantly gain the souls of any creature killed by the black inferno. Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Flame Master

By 18th level, whenever you cause additional necrotic or fire damage with your Incandescent Spirit feature, the die rolled is a d12, rather than a d4. In addition, you gain temporary hit points equal to the number roll on the dice, in the first time you cause additional damage with Incandescent Spirit.

Reaping Blademaster

Reaping Blade Masters are warriors who achieve the full potential in the use of the Reaping Blade. They can perform incredible feats of skill and strength with these cursed weapons, becoming true reapers of souls.

Improved Capacity

At 3rd level, you have a higher ability to store stolen souls. Your soul capacity increases by (your Charisma modifier + your Constitution modifier) x your Proficency.

Reaping Mastery

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn to perform powerful Reaping Techniques, unearthing the true potential of your Reaping Blade.

Reaping Techniques. You learn two techniques of your choice, that must be performed with the Reaping Blade. Many Techniques enhance an attack in some way. Each use of a techniques must be declared before the attack roll is made. You can use only one techniques per attack. You learn an additional techniques of your choice at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level. Each time you learn a technique, you can also replace one technique you know with a different one.

Saving Throws. Some of your techniques require your targets to make a saving throw to resist the technique's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Technique save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength / Charisma or Dexterity modifier (your choice).

Dark Celerity

When you reach 6th level, you add your Charisma modifier as a bonus to your initiative rolls.

You can summon your Reaping Blade or shun it into a dimension of darkness using your bonus action, as long as you are in the same plane of existence than the blade.

Soul Hunter

Upon reaching 10th level, you learn how to cause your Reaper Blade to hunt for the soul of a target, even after missing a strike. When you roll a 3 or lower on the attack roll with the Reaper Blade, you can spend a soul point using a bonus action to reroll the attack.

Quick Summoning

Starting at 14th level, you can summon or shun the Reaping Blade using a reaction on your turn, rather than a bonus action.

In addition, whenever you summon the Reaping Blade, you can make an attack against a creature within 5 feet as part of the same reaction.

Soul Siphoning

At 18th level, whenever you roll a critical hit using your Reaping Blade, you regain a number of hit points equal to half the damage caused.

Reaping Techniques

Frightening Movement. You can twirl and maneuver your blade, inspiring terror in the souls of your enemies. You can expend 6 soul charges while making a Charisma (Intimidation) check to gain advantage on the roll.

Weakening Strike. When you make an attack with the reaping blade against a creature, you can expend 6 soul charges to weaken a creature's soul. On a hit, the creature suffers normal damage and must make a Constitution saving throw or suffer disadvantage on attacks until the end of their next turn.

Soul Blade. When you make an attack with the reaping blade against a creature, you can expend 6 soul charges to turn the blade into an ethereal and phantasmagorical blade. The AC of your target is reduced by your Charisma modifier (to a minimum of 10) for that attack.

Ghostly Dash. When you make an attack with the reaping blade against a creature, you can expend 6 soul charges to assume a shadowy form for a short time and fly away 15 feet, without provoking opportunity attacks. You must end your movement on the ground, or else you fall.

Soul Explosion. When you make an attack with the reaping blade against a creature, you can expend 6 soul charges to create a necrotic explosion around your target. If you hit the target, each creature in a 15-foot radius around the target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, or take half the damage of the attack on a failure, or half that amount on a success. The damage is necrotic.

Necrotic Strike. When you make an attack with the reaping blade against a creature, you can expend any amount of soul charges to empower your strike with necrotic energy. On a hit, you cause additional necrotic damage equal to the amount of souls spent.

Shadow Grasp. When you make an attack with the reaping blade against a creature, you can expend 6 soul charges to ensnare the target with physical shadows. On a hit, the creature suffers normal damage and must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked grappled. A creature already grappled is instead restrained by this attack. The condition lasts until the start of your next turn, unless you move away than 5 feet from the target.

Shadow Lord

Shadow lords are knights of darkness truly devoted into mastering the shadows, drawing power from the plane of shadows, The Shadowfell itself, to conjure creatures of darkness, or to even summon portions of the shadow plane to the material plane. This path tends to be the prefered for creatures who often lurk on shadows, like drows or even vampires.

Field of Darkness

Starting at 3rd level, you can conjure the pure shadows of the Shadowfell around you. You can spend 5 points of your hand of darkness to conjure an area of 20-foot radius of darkness around you, that lasts for 1 hour (requiring concentration). These darkness are considered regular, mundane darkness; in contact with bright light, that area of darkness that came in contact with the bright light is dispelled.

Alternatively, you can spend 10 points to cast darkness (centered on you), without spending spell slots.

Shadow Strike

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to step from one shadow into another. When you are in an area of darkness from your Shadow Lord features, as a bonus action you can teleport up to 20 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in darkness. You then have advantage on the first melee attack you make before the end of the turn.

Beasts of Darkness

At 6th level, you can bring the creature's of darkness to serve you. As an Action, choose an unoccupied space inside the darkness you have created with one of your Shadow Lord features. You conjure a shadow. The shadow is friendly to you and your companions, and obey your commands. It rolls its own initiative, and act on its own turn. The shadow can't leave the area of darkness created by your features.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and regain your uses after finishing a long rest.

Creature of Shadows

At 10th level, you fully become a creature of darkness. You gain the following traits:

• You become immune to necrotic damage, and vulnerable to radiant.
• While in sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.
• While in dim light or darkness, you can become invisible using an Action. You lose the invisibility if you make an attack, cast a spell or leave the area of dim light or darkness.

Shadow Nomad

At 14th level, the range of your Shadow Strike increases to 120 feet. In addition, you can use the feature inside dim light or darkness that you have created or not.

Eclipse

At 18th level, you can spend 10 minutes concentrating to create a limited eclipse, summoning a globe of shadows, an artificial moon of darkness, that moves in between the sun and the earth. The landscape within a five-mile radius of you location experiences the dimming of the sun as a disk the character creates passes in front of it, culminating in a complete blackout and accompanying coronal ring.

The eclipse follows you across the landscape for up to 8 hours, or until the sun goes down, or until you dismisses the eclipse. If your concentration during its creation is broken, or you die, the eclipse is dismissed is broken. You don't need to concentrate in order to keep the eclipse.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again for the next 1d4 days.

Soul Wielder

Soul wielders are knights of darkness who use the power of the souls they steal to create powerful orbs of spiritual energy, blasting their enemies with necrotic explosions and destroying the stolens souls to unleash destructive power.

Soul Orb

Starting at 3rd level, you learn how to manifest soul orbs from the souls you collect. You can spend 1 soul you have to create a soul orb, which you can hurl using a bonus action. The soul orb requires a ranged attack, using your Constitution as the ability modifier. Make a ranged attack against a creature within 30 feet. On a hit, that target takes 3d4 + your Constitution modifier necrotic damage.

Alternatively, you can choose to cause an explosion, causing damage to a 5-foot radius centered on a point you can see within range. You force the creatures to make a Dexterity saving throw instead. Roll the damage, and split between any creature that fails the save, in a manner that each creature takes at least 1 point of damage.

The damage dice increases to 3d6 at 6th level, 3d8 at 14th level and 3d10 at 18th level.

Screams of the Damned

At 6th level, you can torture the souls captured by your blade, and use the pain to force them to unleash a powerful scream. You can do so as a bonus action, spending 2 soul points, and force all creatures in a 10-foot radius to make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier). Roll a number of d6s equal to half your Knight of Darkness level (rounded up). The target's take 2d6 psychic damage per dice rolled on a failure, or half as much on a success. This feature has no effect on constructs and undead.

At 18th level, the area increases to 30 feet.

Spiritual Horde

When you reach the 10th level, you can force the power of the souls you control into you, empowering you. You can cast Spirit Shroud once, without spending spell slots. You can't do it again until you finish a long rest, unless you spend 6 spirit points to do so again.

Ghostly Rebuke

At 14th level, your mastery over the souls you control is so strong, that pain caused to you will trigger a vengeful hatred on them. Whenever you take damage from a creature within 30 feet, a ghostly being leaps from your body and strikes the attacker. That creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or take damage equal to 1d8 + your Constitution modifier.

Banshee Wail

When you reach the 18th level, whenever you use your Screams of the Damned feature, you can choose to turn it into a lethal version of the feature. Any creature that fails the save against the Scream is reduced to 0 hit points on a failed save, or take the normal damage, instead of half, on a success.

Once you use this feature, you can't do it again until you finish a long rest.

Dark Acolyte

Dark acolytes are warriors of darkness devoted to the worship of divinities of darkness. They are cult leaders and militant members of the clergy, spreading the faith on the dark lords through death and terror. They are fanatics, willing to do anything for their dark masters, and being appropriately rewarded for their faithful devotion with magical powers.

Dark Acolyte Spellcasting

Knight of Darkness Level	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
			1st	2nd	3rd	4th
3rd	2	3	2	—	—	—
4th	2	4	3	—	—	—
5th	2	4	3	—	—	—
6th	2	4	3	—	—	—
7th	2	5	4	2	—	—
8th	2	6	4	2	—	—
9th	2	6	4	2	—	—
10th	3	7	4	3	—	—
11th	3	8	4	3	—	—
12th	3	8	4	3	—	—
13th	3	9	4	3	2	—
14th	3	10	4	3	2	—
15th	3	10	4	3	2	—
16th	3	11	4	3	3	—
17th	3	11	4	3	3	—
18th	3	11	4	3	3	—
19th	3	12	4	3	3	1
20th	3	13	4	3	3	1

Divine Acolyte

When your chose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Religion skill, if you don't already have it. If you are already proficient with this skill, you can choose another proficiency of your choice. In addition, you can choose between one of the following languages to learn: abyssal, deep speech, infernal.

Spellcasting

By 3rd level, you have learned to draw on divine magic through meditation and prayer to cast spells as a cleric does.

Cantrips

You know two cantrips of your choice from the warlock spell list. You learn an additional warlock cantrip of your choice at 10th level.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Knight of Darkness table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells. To cast one of your Knight of Darkness spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of Knight of Darkness spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the Knight of Darkness spell list. When you do so, choose a number of Knight of Darkness spells equal to your Charisma modifier + your Knight of Darkness level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For example, if you are a 5th-level Knight of Darkness, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Charisma of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of Knight of Darkness spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your Knight of Darkness spells, since their power derives from the strength of your convictions. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Knight of Darkness spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use your Reaping Blade as a spellcasting focus for your Knight of Darkness spells.

Shadow Smite

Starting at 3rd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal necrotic damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The extra damage is 1d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is a celestial.

Channel Darkness

At 6th level, as a gift from your dark god or goddess you gain the following two Channel Darkness options. You may use one Channel option per short or long rest.

Corrupted Weapon. As a bonus action, you can imbue one weapon that you are holding with negative energy, using your Channel Darkness. For 1 minute, you add your Charisma modifier to attack rolls made with that weapon (with a minimum bonus of +1). The weapon also dims a bright light in a 20-foot radius and darkens dim light 20 feet beyond that. If the weapon is not already magical, it becomes magical for the duration. You can end this effect on your turn as a free action. If you are no longer holding or carrying this weapon, or if you fall unconscious, this effect ends.

Mark of Darkness. As a bonus action, you can mark a target within 60 feet that you can see. This mark lasts 1 minute. If you are within 10 feet of this marked target when it dies you gain double the normal soul charges from the marked enemy. (you do not need to roll a Charisma check - you automatically receive these souls) If Reaping Strike kills the target you receive 2x the CR value of the enemy in soul charges.

Aura of Darkness

Starting at 10th level, whenever you or a friendly creature within 10 feet of you rolls for damage, your power over Darkness grants them unholy strength. The friendly creature may re-roll up to one damage die, using the new result.

Corrupting Touch

At 14th level, you Hands of Darkness is enhanced - it may now be used at range to target a creature within 30 feet - a dark misty hand extends from the caster and into the very soul of his victim. If the target is in dim or lower light Hands of Darkness gains advantage. Any creature touched by your Hands of Darkness regardless of whether ranged or melee must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell DC or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Dark Soul

Beginning at 18th level, your own soul has been completely consumed by the darkness. You are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 30 feet of you, and are immune to the frightened condition. However, you now gain vulnerability to radiant damage, and disadvantage on saving throws against effects that cause radiant damage. Also, you are now treated as a fiend for any spells and magical effects that target fiends.

In addition, you can cast a 5th-level dark acolyte spell. Once you do so, you can't do it again until you finish a long rest.

Dark Acolyte Spell List

1st Level Spells. bane, cause fear, command, compelled duel, detect evil and good, false life, fog cloud, hellish rebuke, hex, heroism, inflict wounds, protection from evil and good, ray of sickness, searing smite, shield of faith, thunderous smite, wrathful smite

2nd Level Spells. blindness/deafness, crown of madness, darkness, darkvision, find steed, hold person, knock, locate object, magic weapon, protection from poison, shadow blade

3rd Level Spells. animate dead, bestow curse, blinding smite, blink, dispel magic, fear, feign death, hunger of hadar, life transference, magic circle, remove curse, speak with dead, spirit shroud, summon shadowspawn, vampiric touch

4th Level Spells. banishment, black tentacles, blight, death ward, locate creature, shadow of moil, staggering smite

5th Level Spells. banishing smite, circle of power, commune, contagion, danse macabre, destructive wave, dominate person, dispel evil and good, enervation, geas, hold monster, negative energy flood

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Knight of Darkness class, you must meet these prerequisites: Strength 13 and Charisma 13

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Knight of Darkness class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shields, Simple Weapons and Martial Weapons

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